Mary Kay Donates $3 Million To TODAY Show Toy Drive

DALLAS, Dec. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — As one of the largest contributors to TODAY’s Holiday Toy and Gift Drive, Mary Kay Inc. is spreading holiday cheer to families in need by making its 12th annual donation. Mary Kay Independent Elite Executive National Sales Director Gloria Mayfield Banks, who holds the number one position within Mary Kay’s independent sales force in the United States, presented a $3 million donation this morning live on NBC’s TODAY Show with Kathy Lee and Hoda.

Since 1994, the gift drive has become a treasured tradition on the TODAY Show Plaza in New York City and helped more than 4 million underprivileged children by distributing approximately $434 million in donations to more than 180 organizations across the nation and at U.S. military bases abroad. The program provides toys, books, clothing and other essentials for impoverished children and teenagers but has also expanded to include gifts that children can give to their parents.

“At Mary Kay, we are a company with a heart and giving back is part of who we are and what we do,” said Crayton Webb, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for Mary Kay Inc. “The annual TODAY Show Toy Drive gives us another opportunity to pay it forward, which has been a part of our company culture since Mary Kay Ash founded our company in 1963. With nearly $50 million in total donations to date to the annual toy drive, we hope we’re making the holidays brighter for deserving families in need across the country.”

Recipients of the donation span all 50 states including domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, children’s group homes, schools, Native American missions, foster family services, hospitals, preschools and after-school programs. For more information about Mary Kay’s heritage of making a difference and commitment to giving back, including domestic violence prevention efforts, click here.